IBM Airline Control Program
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software, Airline reservation systems |
| Founded | 1960s |
| Founder | IBM |
| Fate | Evolved into ACP/TPF and later TPF |
| Products | Operating system for airline transaction processing |
| Parent | IBM |
IBM Airline Control Program (ACP) was an operating system created by IBM beginning in the mid-1960s and is now obsolete. Unlike prior airline transaction processing systems, ACP was engineered to operate on a wide range of IBM System/360 mainframe models, moving away from airline-specific hardware-dependent solutions.
Overview
The origins of ACP trace back to earlier systems including SABRE, Deltamatic, and PANAMAC, which collectively contributed to the development of the Programmed Airline Reservations System (PARS). In 1969, ACP was separated from PARS, with PARS continuing to manage core airline reservation and data processing tasks.
By December 1979, ACP had transitioned into ACP/TPF and eventually became known simply as TPF. This transaction-oriented operating system extended its reach beyond aviation, supporting industries such as online credit card authorization, hotel and car rental bookings, emergency services, and parcel delivery logistics.
The last complimentary version released was 9.2.1, tailored for banking card uses and distributed on a "mini-reel" tape containing a complete ACP system along with restoration libraries for IBM 3340 disk drives. It featured a hypervisor that allowed OS/370 variants (VS1, SVS, or MVS) to operate as guest operating systems under ACP. The detailed documentation encompassed nearly five feet of printed material.
For related technology, see IBM Airline Control System (ALCS), a TPF derivative that delivers rapid, high-volume transaction processing with enhanced integration capabilities by running atop standard IBM operating systems.